All Fall Down Read Online Free Page A

necessities.  
    We all settled ourselves down as best we could. No one spoke. I could tell that Dorus’ presence had unnerved the rest of them quite possibly more than it had me. He hadn’t said one word to us, so I had no idea whether he spoke the common tongue or not, but none of us seemed inclined to test whether he had that knowledge.
    Although the canvas covering of the wagon shielded us from the elements, it had the disadvantage of hiding the passing landscape from our view as well. Of course, night fell soon after we left the slave districts of Myalme, so most probably we would not have seen much.  
    An hour or so after we were on the road, Dorus passed back to us a hamper filled with what proved to be fairly tasty meat rolls, as well as some dried fruit and several flasks of water. We shared the meal in silence, and then, one by one, we dropped off into slumber, lulled by the meal and the endless swaying motion of the wagon.
    At some point during the night we must have stopped, for when I awoke and peered out the opening at the back of the wagon, I could see we were in a small village. The buildings had been fashioned of a dark-gray native stone and looked dour under a lowering early morning sky. At the edge of my vision I detected one of the two guards, who stood off to the rear of the wagon. No doubt we had stopped so that Master Dorus could pass the night in a real bed at an inn. Of course we slaves would not be offered anything besides the makeshift beds we had on the wagon floor.  
    At the same time I became uncomfortably aware that the call of nature had exerted itself somewhat forcibly on my bladder. Surely they wouldn’t expect us to relieve ourselves here in the wagon. It was far too clean for that.  
    I managed to catch the guard’s attention and, through the use of some awkward hand gestures, somehow conveyed my need to him. By the end of the exchange I could feel myself flushing, which, I told myself, was ridiculous. After all, as a physician I had to deal with all sorts of bodily functions on a daily basis. Somehow, though, it was quite different when the functions involved were my own.
    Still, the guard allowed me to clamber out of the wagon and follow him to an outdoor privy located behind the inn. I took care of my business as quickly as possible and then allowed myself a deep breath of cool morning air once I was back out in the relative freshness of the courtyard.
    By the time I returned to the wagon, the rest of its occupants had roused themselves, and the guard was forced to perform privy duties for the entire group. I couldn’t help but allow myself a small, unnoticed smile at his obvious chagrin. As a man-at-arms to a lord, he most likely felt that such work was far beneath him.
    Two servants—or possibly they were slaves as well—emerged from the rear of the inn bearing bowls of some sort of porridge. I didn’t recognize the grain from which it was made, but it had so little taste it couldn’t really offend. It seemed nourishing, however, and I ate with good appetite. If I had learned anything over the past few years as I traveled about the countryside, it was to eat when food was offered. No matter what the day had in store for us, it would be better to face it on a full stomach.
    After another interval, Dorus finally emerged from the inn and took his place on the front seat of the wagon. The two guards mounted their own horses and fell into place behind us as we continued on down the road.
    It was difficult to gauge the passing of time, as the sky had clouded over to a uniform gray, obscuring the sun. At least rain had not yet begun to fall. We again passed the time in silence, broken only by another makeshift meal at midday, when we were given strips of highly seasoned dried meat, some cheese, and surprisingly good bread, no doubt purchased at the inn, for it tasted fresh.
    The forced inactivity began to prey upon me. I couldn’t remember a time when I hadn’t been doing at